Payne: Toughened CX-50 takes Mazda fun off-road

Posted by Talbot Payne on April 1, 2022

Cuyama, California — What’s better than a Mazda in the compact SUV segment? Two Mazdas in the compact SUV segment.

Say hello to the CX-50, the more adventurous brother of the venerable CX-5.

The CX-5 has been my benchmark for the segment since the second-gen model hit it out of the park in 2017. Stylishly designed with the best handling this side of an Alfa Stelvio, CX-5 offered luxury appointments for the price of a Subaru. Its success as Mazda’s best-selling vehicle in the USA’s most-popular segment (over 3 million unit sales) opens the opportunity for CX-50 to explore the segment’s lifestyle-conscious overlander customer.

The 2023 Mazda CX-50 brings the brand's excellent driving dynamics to the off-road space.

It’s a trail that Subaru blazed with its rugged all-wheel-drive, go-anywhere vibe and other brands (think Ford and its Bronco Sport, 2020 Detroit News Vehicle of the Year) are eager to follow. For CX-50, that means following fast.

The Maricopa Highway north of Santa Barbara boasts some of America’s most beautiful roads with glorious vistas and stunning destinations like the Carrizo Plains and Los Padres National Forest. Think the U.P. but with mountains.

So much fun is the CX-50 to drive that I was soon distracted from the view by Maricopa’s roller-coaster curves. Long sweepers, diving hairpins, writhing S turns. With little traffic, it’s a sports car haven.

Ahem, Payne, you’re driving an SUV.

That’s what Mazda has done to the ute. It’s taken the DNA of the Miata and Mazda3 performance cars and somehow translated it to high-riding SUVs — an SUV that rides 8.6 inches off the ground, for goodness’ sake. I must admit some skepticism when Mazda unveiled CX-50 last year tattooed with hip black fender cladding, wide stance and roof rails.

Such touches signal gravel road resilience — but often a softer ride tuned for off-road flexibility. Mazda has made its living as an asphalt fun machine, and I feared that might be compromised. Nope. As Mazda dynamics engineer and chief hot shoe Dave Coleman is quick to point out, you spend most of your time on road even if you’re escaping to the Outback. Cue CX-50’s slogan: “tough but powerful.” Zoom zoom.

The tasteful interior of the 2023 Mazda CX-50 includes remote controller and premium materials.

CX-50’s meaty, weighted steering wheel immediately instills confidence. Despite a higher seating position than the Mazda 3, CX-50 shares the same sweet platform. With all-wheel drive and a mighty 310 pound-feet of torque at my disposal, the Premium Plus tester just ached to be flogged.

There’s no manual here like the Miata, but the 6-speed tranny is a model of smoothness. Jump on the accelerator out of a turn and the “tip-in” is buttery smooth — unlike many 9-speed gearboxes that hunt for the right gear. No bucking, no head twerking, just go.

Before long, my speedometer was registering Mazda3-like numbers as I floored the ute between corners. Grab the brakes and, with all-wheel-drive grip, the CX-50 rotated easily into apexes. Hey Coleman, thought of optioning Michelin Cup Sport tires?

Actually, an all-terrain tire will be optioned on high-profile 18-inch rims when the top-drawer Meridian trim debuts later this year. Gotta keep CX-50 on brand. That brand benefits from Mazda’s years of handling perfection. G-Vectoring Control (GVC to Mazda faithful) cleverly cuts engine torque to help handling — and Mazda’s elves have tweaked the formula for CX-50 with a unique OFF-ROAD mode.

With standard AWD, the 2023 Mazda CX-50 likes to get dirty.

Mimicking rally drivers who left-foot brake into corners to help transfer grip to the front wheels, GVC helped me keep CX-50 tidy as I smoked some off-road trails near Los Padres. Fun, but in more practical applications GVC will help the car settle when drivers misread a trail. That said, CX-50 can’t compete with Bronco Sport’s sensational dual rear clutch pack that makes the Ford a true off-road weapon.

Mazda figures if you’re that serious about off-roading, you’ll get a Bronco or Wrangler armored with skid plates, dual transfer case and plastic fenders so you don’t scratch the paint. CX-50 offers fore and aft cameras so you don’t drive off a cliff.

The 2023 Mazda CX-50 can tow up to 3,500 pounds.

The latter comes in particularly handy if you want to trailer a dirt bike — or U-Haul a go-kart racer as I used to do with my kiddies. Three camera views are available, one of which keeps an eye on your trailer sides. The 2.5-liter turbo-4 will tow up to 3,500 pounds; the standard, 186-torque 4-banger can haul 2,000.

The latter is no stripper entry model.

Like CX-5, the base CX-50 is a bargain at $28,025. Standard everything that would cost thousands more on a luxe brand: all-wheel drive (Mazda SUVs are now standard AWD like Subies), blind-spot assist, adaptive cruise control, emergency braking, auto tranny, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The 2023 Mazda CX-50 features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

A word about the latter. I love wireless tech, but Android Auto drains phone battery. Miles from anywhere in Los Padres National Forest, my phone ran out of juice, leaving me direction-less. Lesson: use the cord on long trips to keep your phone charged while navigating.

The roomy console is dominated by a nifty remote controller to operate the infotainment screen, but — true to Mazda’s obsession with detail — the screen automatically turns to a touchscreen when Android Auto is activated so you can use it like your phone.

Want more obsession? The rear doors open wide to 90 degrees for easier car-seat access — and the roof to store bikes and gear.

Mazda fans have rightly argued their steeds are as good looking as Bimmers, but the CX-50’s nod to off-road culture is a radical departure for a brand that has prized sleek lines.

Lower and wider than CX-5, CX-50 looks aggressive but extra bodywork is everywhere from the wheel arches (though the cladding is not as intrusive as on the smaller CX-30) to the rocker panels to the expansive grille. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, and the 50 blends into the SUV crowd more than the sculptured CX-5.

The interior, however, is premium goodness and now suitable for four, where the CX-5 has always been cramped in the rear seat. Credit a wheelbase stretched five inches, which adds generous cargo and rear seat room for big Americans.

The 2023 Mazda CX-50 gains 5 inches of wheelbase over the CX-5 - so 6'5" Payne can sit behind himself in the rear seat.

Mazda seems to have figured us out with 322,756 sales last year — the most for the brand since ’94. Hungry for more, CX-50 is Made in ‘Bama on Mazda’s first U.S. line since the ol’ Ford joint venture days in Flat Rock.

Now it goes head-to-head with Ford’s Bronco Sport for my favorite compact SUV. Life is good in compact ute-land.

2023 Mazda CX-50

Vehicle type: Front-engine, all-wheel-drive, five-passenger SUV

Price: $ 28,025 base, including $1,225 destination ($41,170 Premium Plus as tested)

Power plant: 2.5-liter inline-4 cylinder; turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-4

Power: 187 horsepower, 186 pound-feet of torque (2.5L); 256 horsepower (227 on regular gas), 310 pound-feet of torque (turbo-4)

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.2-8.0 seconds (Car and Driver est.); towing capacity: 2,000 pounds (2.5L), 3,500 pounds (turbo-4)

Weight: 3,907 pounds as tested

Fuel economy: EPA 24 mpg city/30 mpg highway/27 mpg combined (2.5L); 23 mpg city/29 mpg highway/25 mpg combined (turbo-4)

Report card

Highs: Butter-smooth drivetrain; standard features galore like CX-5 but with more interior room, 90-degree rear doors

Lows: Less-distinct Mazda styling; handy remote controller requires time to learn

Overall: 4 stars

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